Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 5, 1993 TAG: 9304050070
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
CONCERNED FAMILIES SHOP AROUND AS TUITION CAUSES `STICKER SHOCK'
Angie Knowles never thought she'd call anything that cost more than $9,000 a bargain."But when you're talking colleges, anything under $10,000 is good," said Knowles, a mother of four.
When her oldest son, John-Michael, started Christiansburg High School, Knowles began paying attention to news items about tuition. The cost hasn't been a surprise to her, though she does spend time wondering how she will fare a few years down the road, when she will have three kids in college at the same time.
"I've really tried to be an idealist - that somehow we would find a way to send them where they wanted to go," she said.
John-Michael Knowles still hasn't chosen his future alma mater, though he's been accepted at six schools, including several of Virginia's private schools.
He was offered a $5,000 scholarship at Lynchburg College, which, even though it's private, may end up being a better deal for him.
"We told him the school may be decided for him, once we get the financial aid letters," Knowles said. "We have three other children to help achieve their dreams."
Very likely, the cheapest the Knowleses can get off for all four children would be $100,000 - which would be the approximate cost to a parent sending one child to an Ivy League school.
Though Knowles and other parents may be cognizant of college prices, they still may ask for smelling salts when they see the numbers written out for them on college brochures.
"They go into sticker shock," says Debbie Inman, counselor at the Roanoke Valley Regional Governor's School. They remember the days when education was cheaper and "they're quite amazed at how expensive it is now."
So what happens more often - everywhere - is that students seem to be staying home when they can, according to Frank Burtnett, executive director of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors.
The association recently conducted a study of 3,500 high school seniors who were looking at colleges and found that 89 percent of those students said costs and financial aid would influence where they applied, Burtnett said. "Only 11 percent said they didn't have to worry."
The first thing students should look at in a college is whether it's the right place to learn, he said. "The second thing is to make sure it's the right place to live - after all, you're going to be living there for the next four years."
Unfortunately, he said, the economy and the cost of college is having a significant effect on families, and many are placing cost first.
"It's the largest investment I'm making besides our house," Knowles said. "Everybody talks finances. It's like a club."